Posts tagged: float

Another Trip For Squid

By , 6 May, 2013 13:13

Picture of sunny morning at Brighton MarinaI was determined to bag some more squid, so with that in mind, I headed off to Brighton Marina on Friday morning, nice and early. Got onto the East arm at about 7am and it was virtually deserted. Absolutely beautiful morning, bright sunshine, no wind, flat calm, clear sea – perfect. I was on a dropping tide but decided to start in bay 1 with the intention of moving up to the higher numbers as the tide fell.

Standard set up of a sliding float rig with TronixPro squid jig at the end of the hook length. I plumbed the depth to make sure the jig was settling just right and then had the first proper cast of the morning – well, more of a gentle under arm lob really, putting the float out at about ten yards out.

Picture of lure caught squidI had a quick coffee then returned to the rod to see what the drift was like. The float had come in closer, so went for another lob. As I retrieved the gear, the rod tip suddenly dipped and the line went taught. A squid had taken the jig as it was rising and was soon on the deck.

I quickly put the float back out and then tended to the catch. Same as the other day, a relatively small one compared to what I’ve normally had off the arm. Would still make a decent lunch though, so it was quickly dispatched and tucked away.

The rest of the morning was slow, I mean really slow, no more interest shown in the jig, even after having moved up to higher bays. Looked like they’d all done a runner and disappeared. I gave it until around mid day and then decided I was on to a loser for the day, plus I needed time to get cleaned up and ready for work that evening anyway, so packed it all in and headed off home.

Lovely day to be out, I just love those early mornings when it’s dead quiet before the masses turn up and you have the place to yourself and pretty much go where you want. I had thought about going today but having been to the marina on previous bank holiday Mondays, I decided I couldn’t be arsed fishing elbow to elbow with the inevitable tinsel chucking. Besides which, work beckons anyway, so it was pretty much a no go anyway.

Squid Hunt With Alex

PAlex striking a poseAfter a minor success at the squid competition, I thought I’d make use of the decent weather and take Alex along for a shot at the squid. So we were up early the next day and shot off to Brighton Marina before the crowds descended. We were on the East arm by about 8am and shortly after, the float was in the water.

I’d set up a 9′ sea spinning rod with a 5000 size baitrunner for Alex and this seemed a perfect match for him, nice and light, easily controlled but with enough strength to handle a squid.

It was a glorious morning, bright sunshine, clear water and no wind. It would have been perfect apart from the fact we were on a very low tide and there was hardly any depth at the spot I wanted, so aimed for a higher bay but even then, we would have a wait until there was sufficient depth to fish.

I set up the gear and after a few short refresher lessons on casting and explaining that it was different from casting off the beach, Alex set about with gusto. There were the odd misfires but on the whole, he did pretty well and was soon into his stride.

After a couple of hours, the breeze began to pick up a bit and it was soon proving difficult for Alex to cast into the wind. There had been no signs of interest on the jig, so I set another rod with the same sliding float rig, only with a size 2 hook replacing the jig. I baited with small slivers of mackerel and had that one out in the water too.

Due to lack of action, impatience was setting in and Alex found new activities to amuse himself – cutting up mackerel into small strips. Surprisingly, his knife skills are pretty damn good and so he proved to be an excellent bait provider. In between doing that, made numerous runs back to the cafe to obtain snacks and drinks.I think the most widely used terms that morning were “Do you need another drink?”, “Can I get you anything from the cafe?”

It soon began too feel like a hopeless mission on the squid front and nothing was showing any interest in the floated bait either. We decided it would be better to pack up and go home to cook the squid I’d caught the previous day.

All in all, a nice to day to be out and although nothing was caught, Alex at least had an opportunity to practice his casting. The bait cutting should see him in fine form if he ever decides he wants to be a pathologist.

First Mackerel of 2012

By , 10 April, 2012 12:33

Picture of mackerelNot a very inspiring post is this, in fact downright depressing as far as squid go.

In an effort to bag my first of the year, I got down to Brighton Marina nice and early on last Wednesday morning, to get a decent space place to hunt for squid. I resisted the temptation to sit in bay 1 and opted instead to get out in the higher numbers where the squid should appear on the ebbing tide. I eventually got myself settled in bay 36, I think it was and set up the carp rod with a sliding float rig and a Tronix green jig.

The water was still quite low and had a fair bit of time until the 11.30 high water. I set about working the jig anyway, more in a bubble of optimism than any real hope. The water was very green and you could see the clouds of rot it in, although this did lessen a bit with the rising tide.

I was desperate to bag a squid, as I knew I wouldn’t be fishing the following day as it was my birthday and had other plans set. In mad bid to drag a tasty cephalopod from the sea, let the float do its thing while I set up another rod equipped with a large Jarvis Walker Razorback weighted jig which I then worked ‘Egi’ style along the bottom.

It seemed that no matter what I did, I just couldn’t tease one out. I even resorted to chucking feathers out to avoid a total blank when I saw a few mackerel coming out a few bays up. Even then, I only managed a single fish.

I eventually called it a day at about 2pm – three hours after high water with just the single mackerel to show for my efforts. Not a good day catch wise but at least the weather wasn’t too bad.

Not Squids In

By , 28 March, 2012 15:52

Picture of Brighton SeafrontHaving heard reports of squid already being caught at Brighton Marina, I felt like having a go for the critters on an early morning session at the west arm, so Tuesday was chosen as the day. For some unknown reason, I found myself wide awake at 4am instead of the planned 6am, so ended up kicking my heels (well watching the news and drinking coffee) until it was time to go.

I arrived on the West arm at just before 7am and found I was the only one there, so had the pick of where to fish. I trundled up the rest of the way to the end and dumped myself in the last float bay. The light breeze was coming from a North Easterly direction but I was well sheltered from it in my space; it had in fact, been the deciding factor that made me decide on the West arm as opposed to the East, which is more exposed to winds from that direction.

Picture of may rot in waterLooking at the sea, it was relatively clear but there were the definite signs of early May rot which could be seen in swirling cloudy patches. This annual phenomenon is a right royal pain the arse, as it tends to make the fishing crap and you end up with the slimy muck coating everything it comes into contact with. It’s caused by an algae bloom that then dies and turns into this unspeakable gop.

Seems that it has turned up early this year, probably caused by the unusually warm weather – oh lucky us!

Picture of ABU Enticer carp rodI began to set up and pulled the latest weapon in my arsenal from it’s protective bag – a 2½lb test curve ABU Enticer Pro carp rod (Pictured. As usual, click on the pic for a larger image). I’d got this in an Amazon deal for £20 instead of the normal forty odd quid. Time would tell if it was a wise choice or whether it would end up as yet another white elephant in amongst all the others in my garage.

It was teamed up with my trusty old Shimano Aero GT 6010 bait runner reel which is loaded with 20lb braid. A standard sliding float rig was employed but using a Tronix squid jig instead of the usual hook. I started with a pink one but later alternated with the green and even tried the blue.

Now, as hard as I tried, I just could not get a hit on the jigs at all – nothing, nada, zilch – all morning. I varied the distance out, experimented with the depth but nothing could induce any interest. So much for the ‘Enticer’ bit.

I have to say, that even though nothing was caught that would test the new rod out, it felt light and very comfortable to hold and use. It has a nice action that made casting or just under-arm flicking very easy. So far, I’m very pleased with it and can’t wait to test it properly with some critter on the other end.

I eventually called it quits at around 2pm, although I was tempted to stay longer, if only just to bask and enjoy the lovely warm sunshine that was bearing down as I left. Alas though, I had to work that night – good news is, it’s only until Thursday and then it’s off for a month over the Easter break – woohoo!

Float Slider Rig

By , 10 September, 2010 14:16

A method of fishing a bait near the surface under a float while still fishing a main bait on the bottom. Cast your normal bottom fished rig and then once settled, add the float rig by clipping the snap swivel over your main line and letting it slide down into the water.

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